Method of producing boxes and box blanks



May H. B. SMITH METHOD OF PRODUCING BOXES .AND BOX BLANKS Original FiledJan.l2. 1923 2 sheets sheyg 1 wmw IINVENTOR fih'ay/mh 6mm 4* zrfiw 1 ATTORNEYS 1,627,811 May 1927' H. B. SMITH METHOD OF PRODUCING BOXES AND BOX BLANKS "Original Filed Jan.l2, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR aw/y firm mm @m'zh BY I r 'mfiw l duction methods as disclosed in the above Patented May 10, 1927.

UNITED STATES,-

PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY BRIDGMAN SMITH, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR, BY mnsnr: ASSIGN- MENTS, 'ro HOAGUE-SPRAGUE CORPORATION, OF LYNN, mssaonusn'r'rs, A con- I'OBATIQN OF MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF PRODUCING BOXES AND BOX BLANKS.

Application filed January '12, 1923, Serial No. 612,171. Renewed June 25, 1926.

This invention relates to methods of pro ducing boxes and box blanks which are in generalrconformity with certain of my previous inventions in this art as disclosed in' various patents and pending applications, with important modifications and improvements.

The general Object of the invention is to provide continuous methods of producing printed, decorated or other boxes andbox blanks, said methods being in general agreement with my previous continuous box promentioned patents and applications and companion applications executed on even date herewith, with the addition to or incorporation in the continuous method steps of suitable Operations which provide desired printed subject-matter on the boxes in advantageous ways. 3

Another object is to provide an improved method of producing composite box blanks in which free strips or margins of cover paper project beyond certain of the shell edges, to provide for covering and concealing said edges in the'completed box, as more particularly explained hereafter.

A great many boxesare furnished with plain or unprinted exterior surfaces andany suitable printed labels 'may of course be pasted on any or all of the outer faces of such a box by the manufacturer, or by the consumer according to his requirements; but

when a large number of boxes are required, of identical form and size and with identical printed matter, the cost of such labeling operations is excessive or prohibitive. Otherwise, in the manufacture of the boxes, printed .cover blanks may be supplied and applied to the box bodies or shells, and I have invented box structures, methods of manufacture, and machines for manufacturing boxes automatically and economically in accordance with this planlwhich may be identified as an individual blank assembly method. .In the art previous to my invention just referred to, so far as I am aware, no completely automatic machinery has been available for the production of such covered boxes. Further by the use of my, invention or by previous methods,-this plan of box production, while satisfactory for many severing operations being performe purposes, does not provide for the great out- Of course boxes produced by any of my previous' methods, including the continuous methods, may have separate printed labels pasted on, or printing mechanisms may be used to print directly on the covered surfaces of the completed. box parts; but all such expedients are undul troublesome and costly and manifestly un esirable for longrun production where many thousands of boxes of identical character and with identical'printed matter are to be produced as economically as possible.

Tonavoid the above mentioned and other diflicultiesheretofore existing in the production of printed boxes, my invention comprises, as broadly described, the advancing of a continuous strip or web of box forming material, suchv as a suitable cardboard or chipboard, to form the box body or shell,

and in suitable way, or at suitable times in face of the web succesive individual cover blanks each of which is printed with the desired indioia for a completed box. While the edges of the cover blanks may be more or less spaced apart, or may overlap more or I less, in some cases, without destroying the value of the method, it is usually preferred to feed and aflix the cover blanks so that the forward edge of each'is located close alongside .the rearward edge of the preceding one. The cover blanks may be proportioned so that their side edges are closely in line with the longitudinal edges of the continuous web, that is to say, so that the cover margins do not project; or otherwise, and I more desirably in some cases, side marginal portions of the cover blanks project beyond the longitudinal edges of the web and during the advance of the continuous web these margins are turned over and adhesively secured to under marginal surfaces of the shell web. Sections of regular length are then cut from the continuous assembly as above produced, forming individual box blanks,

d to separate independently foldable parts of the blanks,' as the corner laps and end wings,

either before or after the individual blanks are severed from the continuous assembly. The individual blanks are then folded and secured in box form whereupon the printed matter of the cover blanks'appears in the desired and predetermined location on outer surfaces of the completed box part.

In the foregoing general description reference is made to printed sheets or labels and for many purposes such sheets or labels bearing indiciaor designs of a practical commercial, or more or less decorativecharacter, are entirely suitable. aspect of the invention, however, the applied sheets or labels may be treated in other ways to produce the desired effect. For in stance, these sheets or labels may be enibossed, with or without additional printing,

or the individual sheets or labels may even have originally-separate labels or pastors applied to them. Therefore reference will be made hereafter, in some places, and especially in the claims, to imprinted, treat- 1 ed or decorated sheets or labels to signify the broader characteristics of such elements,

as above sufficiently explained.

Other important features which may be included in connection withthose above described are the treatment of the continuous web or shell blank to provide longitudinal folding lines, and in some cases this shell web treatment may be performed before as sembly contact of the cover blanks and in other cases afterward, in general conformity with other of my inventions involving continuous production methods, particularly as referred to in the above mentioned companion applications; also, the continuous'shell web or the continuous assembly including the cover blanks, may be treated to provide transverse fold lines or creases.

An important variation in the method as above described consists in forming a continuous composite web or blank assembly, including .a shell web and a cover web, with or without overturned cover margins, in general accordance with other of my continuous box production methods, and advancing and adhesively aflixing successive printed labels to the cover strip or web, this usually bein done after the cover web advances toward the. point of. application to the shell web; although in a broader aspect of the invention the application of the separate printed labels over the cover paper may be performed after assembly contact of the cover web with the shell. Considerable variation is possible in the nature or shape of these labels and the manner in which they are applied, that is to say, with regard to their spacing, or their location on the completed box part.

The characteristics and advantages of the nvention are further sufiicientlyvexplained m connection with the following detail de- In a broader scription of the accompanying drawings,

which show certain exemplifying embodiments of the invent-ion. After considering these, persons skilled in the art will under:

stand that many variations may be made within the principles of the invention; and I contemplate the employment of any methods which are properly within the scope of the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view sufiiciently illustrating one performance of the process up to the point of individual blank cut-off.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a completed individual box blank.

Figure 3 sufliciently explains intermediate steps or stages of shaping the blank into box Figure 9 is a perspective view of acom pleted box bearing labels in two locations, as provided by the arrangement of Figure 6 and the variation indicated in Figure 8.

In the process as illustrated in Figure 1 a continuous web of box body or shell material 1 is advanced from a roll 2 and at a SllllZ- able point longitudinal fold lines 3 are produced by suitable means, such as routers 4. Narrow longitudinal strips are shortly thereafter removed from the shell web, producing slots 5, which are usually directly in line with the longitudinal fold lines and of the same width, and of a suitable length forthe desired end formation of the completed box blank as made clear hereafter; Glue is then supplied to one face of the continuous shell web by a glue roll 6. this being a representative way, which is preferred in many cases. for supplying adhesive to secure the cover blanl's.

The cover blanks C are desirably arranged in a stack 8 at a convenient point adjacent to the advancing shell web. The blanks are outline, it is usually more convenient and de- Illl) IOWI'L projects beyond the carrier and co-operates .tion to the shell-web. movement. stance.v just as the rearward edge of one cover blank C is leaving the neighborhood sirable to"provid'e the blanks in rectangular form as shown. They are more desirably arranged with the printed faces upward to avoid any necessity for inverting the blanks prior to application to, the shell web.

The individual blanks may be separated from the stack and'a-dvanced and applied to the shell web in any convenient or suitable way. In the present example mechanism for this purpose is indicated in a diagrammatic or rudimentary way, this mechanism consisting of a stack-support or holder 12 arranged to reciprocate as shown by the ar- The forward-portion of the stack with a selector or feed roll 13. The stack is reciprocated at suitable intervals in relaof guide roll 14 over which the shell Web passes adjacent to the cover feed mechanism, the stack is moved forward by its carrier and. provision maybe made at the same time for slightly lowering the leading end of the stack to bring the forward edge of the lowermost cover blank therein in contact with the adhesive-surface of the shell web. The advance of the stack continues for a brief space along with the shell web and in this movement the forward edge of the blank, adhering to the shell web, i carried between the selector or feed roll 13 and the shell surface supported on roll 14, and the actions are timed-so that the edges of the blanks are brought quite close together as clearly shown in Figure 1, where transverse lines 15 indicate .the

closely located or contacting edges of ad-- jacent cover blanks on the continuous shell web. Shortly after'the cover blank is se-' curely gripped and advanced by the feed roll 13, the stack may be withdrawn by 'retraction of the carrier 12, and in this movement the just-mentioned cover blank is fully withdrawn from the bottom of the stack, and as the blank proceeds forward under the feed roll it is pressed completely in engagement with the shell'web, and the actions are then repeated indefinitely to produce a continuous covered shell web or assembly.

No attempt suitable feed mechanism may be employed or any suitable parts may be added to the mechanism diagrammatically illustrated to produce the desired results, and of course with respect to all of the mechanisms above and hereinafter described, it is to be understood that while an important feature of the invention is the adaptation of the methods to performance by machines and preferably by entirely automatic machines, for

the sake of high speed and economical -pro- For inis made to describe in full the details of the feed mechanism. Any.

duction, the methods in all their variations are equally well adapted to be performed by hand operations or by the aid of tools of elementary simplicity. 1

In this particular example of the method the cover blanks have projecting lateral margins 17. To provide for the application of these margins to under marginal surfaces of-the shell web after the cover margins are turned over in the manner just below described, a desirable variation in the method is, in some cases, the application of adhesive to the cover blanks instead of to the shell web, andin that case the cover blanks would be glued all over,'including the margins,and no precautions would have to be taken to supply additional adhesive for the adaptation of these cover margins to the shell web.

For other reasons, however, it is more desirable in many cases to apply adhesive 'to the shell web as above described. Therefore when the cover blanks have projecting margins, adhesive may be supplied to these.

margins or it may be supplied to under marginal surfaces of the shell web as by glue rolls 18. The cover margins 17 are thereafter turned down and under and pressed against the glue stripes on the shell web margins by any suitable mechanisms.

At a suitable point in the advance of the materials, which may in some cases be prior to the application of the cover blanks to the shell web, but. more desirably is in some cases, as here shown, after the cover blanks are applied and their margins turned and secured, transverse fold lines 19 are produced by suitable instrumentalities, these fold lines desirably taking the form of deep grooved or bead creases.

Mechanisms or operations the transverse fold lines and also for pro ducing slots 5 in they shell web previously referred to are-of course located ortime so, that these parts or elements operate in for producing proper relation to the individual blank eleof the materials slits 20 are made in the cover material by suitable devices such as slitting wheels 21, these slits being over the shell slots 5 and being desirably arranged so that a margin 21 of the cover paper projects alongside a longitudinal severing cuts being made at such a location or at such a time that the cutting instrumen tality is exactly or approximately in line .with the blank division lines defining the proper points of separation of the individual blanks. A series of individual blanks B, Figures 1 and 2, is thus produced, each of which comprises a central or body portion a,

side wings 6, corner laps c projecting from the ends of the side wings, and end wings (Z,

each of these blank portions comprising shell series of operations,

and cover material adhesively appliedthereto. The blanks are then folded into box form in one or more intermediate stages or these intermediate operations being sufiiciently indicated in Fi ure 3, and comprising turning up the sid e wings, turning in the corner laps and then turning up the end wings and securing them to outer faces of the corner laps. At

any suitable point or stage of operations adhesive may be supplied to parts of the end.

structure. For instance, before the individual blanks are severed or afterward, at a convenient point, adhesive may be applied to inner faces of the end wings and at the same time or by a difierent operation adhesive may be also a plied to the narrow cover margins 21*. W en therefore the cover wings are turned up and pressed roperly against the corner laps they are adhesrvely secured and retained in position and at or about the same time the narrow cover mar gins 21 are pressed and secured against outer faces of the cover paper on the corner laps a adjacent to the vertical corners of the box, as clearly shown in Fi ure 4, these pressed and adhesively secure cover margins adequately protectin and concealing the side edges of the shel wings (I.

Aseries of complete box arts as shown in Figure 4 is thus produce in very rapid and economical fashion, each of which bears in proper laces on its exterior surface the printed su ject-matter carried by the originally-separate cover blanks.

The method is susceptible of a great many variations along ractically any or all of the lines suggested in my prior applications disclosing continuous production methods of this general class, and especially m companion applications of even date, eit er for the pur ose of improving, sim lifying or cheapenlng the'method per se, or or the purpose of pro'ducin boxes of other forms.

eference is there oremade-to said applications for a full understanding of variations in the methods and box structures, and it ma am will not be attemptedto explain all of these variations herein; but a proper latitude of variation in the structures and methods of the present application will be indicated in the broader claims appended.

Figure 6 illustrates one important variation in the method, in which the shell web 1 is advanced and treated substantially as in the previous instance up to the point of as sembly contact, except that the punching ofshell slots 5 is omitted in this instance. Instead of applying printed cover blanks directly to the shell-web, a continuous web of suitable cover paper 30 is advanced from a roll 31 and the under or inward surface of the cover web is adhesively conditioned by a glue roll 32. The cover web passes on and at a suitable point is brought in adhesive contact with the shell web, and individual printed blanks or labels L may be afixed to the cover web at any convenient or suitable point in its advance. Desirably, however, as in the present example, these labels L are atiixed to the cover web before its application to the shell web. For this purpose the labels L are arranged in a stack 33 adjacent to a guide roll 34 over which the cover web passes and adjacent also to a feed roll 35, and the stack is supported by a reciprocating stack carrier 36, the stack carrier and other details of 'the label feed mechanism being similar to the feed mechanism previously described in connection with Figure 1. The

labels in this instance are intended to be located on the central or body section of the com leted box, and they are placed in the ,stac The movement of the stack carrier 36 is timed so that the labels are advanced into contact with the cover web and located thereon at the proper points with due regard to the division of the continuous web or blank assembly into individual blanks at a subsequent stage of the process.

Adhesive may be supplied in any convenient 0r suitable way for securing the labels in position. Desirably, adhesive for this purpose is supplied to the continuous cover web by a glue roll 40, Figures 6 and 7, having a part-cylindrical gluing surface 41 commensurate with the area of the labels. This glue roll is located or timed so that spots of glue are applied to the continuous cover web over substantially the exact areas which will be occupied by the labelsL, and at the pro er point the labels are then advanced an se arated from stack 33, up lied to and presse on the lued areas, an they then iroceed along with the cover web, which is rought into contact with the advancing shell webl and pressed in adhesive contacttherewith, for example, by the pressing roll 45.

When the cover web has projecting lateral margins 47, these margins are then turned with the printed surfaces upward.-

down and under and pressed on under margins of the shell, and at a suitable point transverse fold lines 50' are produced in the' semblies B, which are substantially the same as the blank assemblies B previously described except that the corner laps and end wings are separated by slots produced y terials, and in this example without pro-' excising portions of the. combined mavision for any cover margins alongside the longitudinal edges of the end wing as in the previous instance, and of course with the important difference that the shell materialof the blank is entirely covered exteriorly and along the longitudinal edges by thesheet of cover paper, and the desired printing is supplied in the formof a printed label L aflixed to a suitable portion of the exterior cover-,

paper surface,'in the present case to the cover body portion a.

Figure 8 shows a smaller printed label L applied to one of the endwing sections of the blank. It is evident that the process maybe varied or rearranged to provide for.

the application of labels in this position, and in fact, when necessary or desirable two or more labels may. be applied to a single in-' dividual box blank by providing two or more label feed arrangements, parallel or in series, with suitable meansfor roviding adhesive to insure the adhesion 0 each label in the proper position.

F1 to 9 shows, for example, two. labels L and 1 aflixed to the outer surface of the com leted box in desirable positions.

' T e coip pleted individual blank of Fig ure 6 or 1 form in a manner which is sulficipntliy obvious from the previous ex lanation, a

; drawings is lar complete machine or hesive being properly supplie as previously explained, to secure the end wings, to the outer surfaces of the corner laps.

:' Words used herein to indicate relative location, that is such words as top and fbot tom, u per and lower, and slmilar words, are genera ly used onl ina relative sense, since evidently the relative locations of parts may in many cases be changed and, for nstance, thepositional relation of the principal materials in the performance 0 the process may be in many cases reversed. It is to be understood also that the showing in the el dictated by illustrative convenience an terials and the arrangement of parts in a process lay-out maybe quite different from the diagrammatic mdications in the drawing.

gure 8-is then folded into boxt e general course of ma- I claim:

1. A method of producing printed box blanks, comprising advancinga continuous web of shell material, adhesively conditioning a surface thereof, advancing successively individual printed sheets, securing the successive sheets to the adhesive surface of the web, andsevering the web assembly at regular intervals to produce individual printed blanks. I

2. A method of producing printed box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web of shell material, adhesively conditioning a surface thereof advancing successively individual printed sheets, securing the successive sheets to the adhesive surface of the web, turning and affixing projecting margins of the printed sheets to under marginal surfaces of the shell web, and severing the web assembly at regular intervals to produce individual printed blanks.

3. A method of producing printed box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web of shell material, adhesively conditioning a surface thereof, advancing successively individual printed sheets, securing the successive sheets to the adhesive surface of the web to form a substantally continuous cover layer thereon, and severing the web assembly at regular intervals corresponding'substantially to the printed sheet ends to produce 1 individual printed blanks.

4. A. method of producing printed box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web of shell material, adhesively conditioning the surf ce thereof, advancing successively indivi ual printed sheets, securing the successive sheets to the adhesive surface of the web to form a substantially continuous cover layer thereon, turning and aflixing projecting mar ins of the rinted sheet to under margina surfaces 0 the shell web, and severing the web assembly at regular intervals corresponding substantially to the printed sheet ends to produce individual printed blanks.

5. A method of producing box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web of shell material, cutting the web to produce individual blank formations thereon, advancing printed sheets in regular order and securing them adhesively upon the shell web in locations corresponding to individual blanks to be produced, and severing the con- -tinuous assembly so formed at regular intervals to produce individual blanks.

6. A method of producing box blanks com- I prisingadvancing a continuous web of shell material, cutting'the web to. produce individual blank formations thereon, applying sembly so formed at regular intervals to produce individual blanks.

7 A method of producing box blanks,

\ comprising advancing a continuous web of box-board, forming longitudinal folding channels on one face thereof, coating one surface of the web with adhesive, feeding successive printed blanks and applying them to the adhesive web surface in regular order and with the successive blanks substantially in ,contact with each other, and serving the assembly transversely at regular intervals corresponding to the blank ends to produce individual box blanks' I 8. A method of producing box blanks,

' comprising advancing a continuous web of box-board, forming longitudinal folding channels on one face thereof, coating one surface of the web with adhesive, feeding successive printed blanks and applying them to the adhesive web surface in regular order and with the successive blanks substantially in contact with eachother, and with margins of the blanks projecting beyond longitudinal edges of the web, turning and securing the projectingmargins to marginal faces of the web, andsevering the assembly transversely at regular intervals corresponding to the blank ends to produce individual box blanks.

, 9. A method of producing printed boxes "comprising advancing a continuous web of layer thereon, severing the web assembly at regular intervals corresponding substantially to ends of the printed sheets to produce inrinted blanks, and folding. and

dividual securing t e individual blanks in box form. 11. A method of producing boxes, com

pgising advancing a continuous web of box ard, forming ngitudinal folding channels on one face thereof, coating one surface of the web with adhesive feeding successive printed blanks and applying tiem totlie adhesive web surface m regular order and with the successive blanks substantially in contact with each other, severing the assembly transversely at regular intervals corres ondin to the ends of the blanks to pro- 1100 in ividual box blanks, and folding and securing the individual blanks in box form.

* 12. A method of producing boxes, comedges of the web, turning and securing the projecting margins to marginal faces of the web, severing the assembly transversely at regular intervals corresponding to the ends of the blanks to produce individual box blanks, and folding and securing the mdividual blanks in box form.

13. A method'of producing printed box} blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web of box material, advancing successively individual printed sheets, securing the successive sheets to a surface of the web, and severing the web at regular intervals to produce individual printed blanks.

14. A method of producing printed box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous .web of boxmaterial, advancing successively individual printed sheets, securing the successive sheets to the web to form a substantially continuous layer thereon, and severing the web assembly at regular intervals corresponding substantially to the printed sheet ends to blanks.

15. A method of producing-printed box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web of box material, adhesively conditioning a surface thereof, advancing successively individual printed sheets, securing the successive sheets to the adhesive web surface, and severing the web assembly transversely to produce the individual printed blanks. l

16. A method of'producing printed box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web'of box material, advancing successively individual printed sheets, supplying ,adhesivo to secure the successive sheets to a surface Ofllle web to form a substantially continuous layer thereon, and severing the web assembly transversely at intervals corresponding substantially to the printed sheet ends to produce individual printed blanks.

17. A method. of producing printed box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web ofbox material. advancing printed sheets in regular order and securing them upon a surface of the web in locations corresponding to individual blanks to be produced, and severing the continuous assembly so formed at regular intervals to produce individual blanks.

18. A method of producing box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web of body material producing longitudinal slots therein, applying successive individual produce individual printed the web at blank intervals, the slots being spaced inward from the shell edges, applying successive individual sheets of cover material and securing them to a face of the web with portions of said sheets overlying the slots, slitting the cover spaced away from certain of the slot edges, and severing the composite web transversely on lines intersecting the slots to produce individual blanks.

20. A method of producing box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web 0 shell material, producing parallel slots in the web at blank intervals, the slots being a spaced inward from the shell edges, applysuccessive individual sheets of cover ing and securing them to a face of the material material on lines web to form a substantially continuous cover layer with portions of said sheets overlying the slots, slitting the cover material on lines spaced away from certain of the slot edges, and severing the composite web transversely on lines intersecting the slots to produce individual blanks.

21. A method of producing box blanks, comprising advancing a continuous web of shell material, slotting the shell at blank intervals, advancing and individual cover sheets to a face of the shell web, the cover sheets being dimensioned to have longitudinal margins projectin beyond the longitudinal shell edges, f0 ding and securing the projecting sheet margins to the opposite marginal faces of the shell, slitting said sheets on lines spaced from certain of the slot edges, and severing the web assembly on transverse lines intersecting the f slots to produce the individual blanks.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New Yorkthis th day of December, A. D. 1922.

HARRY BRIDGMAN sm'iH.

securing successive 

